“ Julian the apostate, Emperor of Rome, who was once a Christian, but afterwards returned to idolatry, resolved to build the temple in despite of Christ, and that this prophecy might not prove true, "That one stone shall not be left upon another;" but when the workmen were laying the foundation, a dreadful earthquake happened, and fire issued out of the earth, destroyed all the men, and dispersed all the stones, so that there was not one stone but what was separated from another. ”

“ A. There was a stone which slipt from its place, and discovered the mouth of a cave cut in a rock, but the overseers of the work not being able to see to the bottom of it, let down a labourer by a rope, and being come to the bottom, he was up to the ancles in water, and found the place four square, and laying his hands on a little pillar above water, he met with a book wrapped up in a clean linen cloth; and being drawn up, the spectators were amazed it should be so fresh, lying in such a dark hole. ”

“ In this world you shall have trouble, you shall be as sheep among wolves, they shall deliver you up to the councils, and scourge you in the synagogues, ye shall be brought before governors and kings, and shall be hated of all men for my name's sake ”

“ A of all other nations in the world, none earlier embraced the Christian religion with more readiness than the Egyptians, demolishing their idolatrous images before any other heathen nation, and giving example to other countries to do the same, so they were the first who, after the coming of Christ, returned to the worship of the true God. ”

“ A. Herod was a man of Idumea, and being rich, politic, and ambitious, and very comely, every way qualified for a courtier, that Hyrcannus, king of Juden, of the house of David, gave to him his daughter in marriage, and made him governor in Galilee; and when Hyrcannus was taken prisoner by the Parthians and carried to that country, Herod fled to Rome, and there by the favour of Mark Anthony obtained the kingdom of Judea, though his father-in-law was still alive in Parthia. ”

“ Q. How came those wise men in the east to understand the star, that which then appeared unto them, denoted the birth of the king of the Jews, or the Saviour of the world?
A. St. Basil supposeth they were great astrologers and learned men, who by magic art, much practised in those countries, and seeing the power of their gods and oracles daily decayed; and, it's probable, might hear of the prophecy, so commonly spoken of in the east, that out of Judea should come the Ruler of all the world ”

“ The like tragical death had the emperors from Tiberius to Constantine the Great, who established the Christian religion, died peaceably in his bed, though for three hundred years before few or none escaped divine vengeance, whose miserable deaths, noble Christian, above a thousand years ago, wrote, to show that they all fell by the power of Jesus, besides Julian the apostate, and Valens an Arian heretic, were made instances of divine Justice, for their detestable enormities.
Q. What befel the Jews for crucifying the Saviour of the world? ”

“ A. It is reported that these wise men were little kings, or petty lords of particular places, such as those of whom Joshua slew thirty in one battle. Epiphanus is of opinion that they came to Jerusalem two years after Christ's nativity, because Herod slew all the infants of that age; but it is generally believed that the star appeared to them two years before Christ's nativity, and that they came to Bethlehem thirteen days after his birth, which the church calls Epiphan, or the twelfth day of the three kings. ”

“ Paul reproved them, relating that Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world, who had suffered death by the Jews, was the unknown God, whereby he converted many to the Christian faith.
Q. What account do the Romans give of Christ?
A. In the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Lentulus, the Roman governor of Judea, wrote the following letter to the senate: "There appeared in these our days a man of great virtue, called Jesus Christ, who is yet living among us, and of the people accepted as a prophet; but his own disciples call him the Son of God. He raiseth the dead, and cureth all manner of diseases ”

“ Q. What account does Josephus, the Jewish historian, give of our blessed Saviour?
A. Josephus writes thus: "In these times lived Jesus, a very wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, because in truth he did marvellous things, and was master and teacher to them that loved him, and sought after the truth. The Jews and Gentiles followed him in great numbers ”

“ And after him, Orpheus, Hesiod, and the Platonists, who were Grecians, writ to the same purpose; and besides those, there arose ten women, who, having the spirit of prophecy, and were called Sybils, uttered many speeches concerning Christ, of his birth, and life, of his miracles, death, suffering, and resurrection, which they spoke in more plain terms than those of the Jews, but they understood them not.
Q. Had not the heathen world many oracles, that spoke and told them events, that were to happen? ”

“ A. Job lived the second age of the world, and was in the days of Abraham, Zoroastes, and, as his story relates, was a famous instance of patience, holiness, and virtue.
Q. But does history relate of no prophet that was amongst the Heathen or Gentile world, that did prophecy of a Redeemer among the Jews? ”

“ Q. As there were many of the Jews converted, and were become Christians in Jerusalem, did these suffer in the destruction of Jerusalem?
A. There were many that had embraced the doctrine of the apostles and believed in Christ, in and about Jerusalem ”